*Some time ago*

"M-Mister, what are you saying? A-Are you a vampire? If you drink my blood, will I become a vampire too?" Manny asked, his voice trembling with fear, but a glint of curiosity flickered on his face.

Shin knew what he had to do. Even if he took a lot of blood from Manny, he would only survive for another 20 minutes. Instead, if he gained Manny's consent to take his blood and in return, Manny wished strongly to save himself and other children, a Blood Pact could be formed. This would not only allow Shin to recover but also grant him the power to take on Wenton. The pact would temporarily lift any curses or seals affecting the demon until the contractor's wish was fulfilled. Shin understood this, but he needed to convince Manny not only to give him his blood but also to resolve to save the other children.

"Manny, do you know why you were bullied?" Shin asked gently.

"W-What are you saying, Mr. Shin?" Manny responded, surprised.

"It's because you have a good heart, but not the courage to stand up against evil," Shin said firmly.

"But they were stronger than me," Manny replied defensively.

"They might be, but didn't Talia defeat them? They were stronger than you, but they weren't invincible. If you had stood up to them, maybe you would have had a chance to defeat them," Shin explained.

"No, I couldn’t," Manny said, adamantly.

"Talia only knew you for a few weeks, but she still stood up for you. She didn't knew if she could defeat those kids, but she couldn’t stand by and let those evil people hurt you. Many people saw you getting bullied—some might have been even stronger than them—but only Talia had the courage to stand up and fight. Do you know why? It's because she couldn't tolerate evil," Shin explained, pride for his daughter evident in his voice.

Manny looked more inspired, appearing calmer now.

"Listen, Manny, it doesn’t matter how powerful someone is. Without the courage to stand up against evil, they can't do anything. Now, tell me, do you have the courage to stand up and protect those around you?" Shin asked firmly.

"Yes, Mr. Shin. Please take my blood and save us from that monster," Manny finally said, extending his hand toward Shin's mouth. His pure energy was becoming more prominent.

Shin smiled faintly. **Finally, he’s gathered his courage. I didn’t know if it would be possible. You have a truly good soul, Manny,** he thought.

Shin bit down gently, avoiding Manny's veins to prevent too much blood loss. Blood poured out of the wound, and Shin drank every drop, careful not to waste any. Manny flinched in pain but held still, trusting that Shin would save him and the others.

**This should be enough. Human blood, how long has it been since I had it last time?** Shin thought, a somber look crossing his face.

He stopped after a moment. Manny was gasping from the pain, and Shin knew that Wenton was getting closer. But now, he was confident—the Blood Pact had been formed.

Shin gave Manny a quick chop to the neck, knocking him out, and carried him toward the children. His nose picked up the scent of salt. Fiona must have protected the children with a salt circle in case any demons approached while she was taking the others to safety. Shin quickly threw Manny into the circle.

**The other demon’s presence is gone. Fiona must have defeated it. I didn’t get enough time to examine it, but it felt familiar,** Shin thought as he stepped outside the building.

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He sensed Wenton, now only a few meters away.

"Looks like you had fun hunting me. I can’t see, but I can tell you have a huge, ugly grin on your face," Shin said.

"Ha ha! Are you really blind?" Wenton replied, his voice deep and heavy.

"It seems like you enjoyed yourself a lot. But sorry, the fun ends here," Shin said coldly, his ferocious aura now much stronger and denser.

"What did you do? Your aura was faint, and you were on the verge of death. Wait... Oh, so you drank blood from one of the kids? Ha! It doesn’t matter. Their trash blood won’t get you far," Wenton said mockingly.

"At least I won’t explode after 25 minutes. But here’s some good news—you won’t have to worry about that, because you’ll be dead long before then," Shin said with a confident smile.

"Your arrogance knows no bounds," Wenton growled, an evil smile spreading across his face.

In an instant, Shin moved with lightning speed, driving his knee into Wenton's face, completely destroying his nose. He moved away just as quickly, leaving Wenton no time to react.

"It’s not just arrogance," Shin said with a grin.

"Such swift, refined movements... Were you raised in a demonic cult?" Wenton asked, enraged.

"You’re really eager to get back to hell, aren’t you? Didn’t I tell you not to mention that?" Shin snarled, lunging to attack. But Wenton sidestepped, quickly heading toward the building.

**Damn, he’s going after the children!** Shin thought, rushing to catch Wenton before he could reach the building. Wenton pushed himself to move faster, determined.

Just as Wenton reached the hole in the building made by Shin’s earlier crash, a figure stood in front of him, sword drawn—it was Fiona.

"Ugh, such an ugly giant," Fiona said with distaste, her sword’s tip glowing brightly. "Get lost." A beam of light shot out from the sword, pushing Wenton back. He crashed meters away, landing on his back.

Taking advantage of the moment, Shin increased the mass of his fist and delivered a heavy blow to Wenton’s left side, sending him further into the trees.

"Fiona, take the children to safety. I’ll deal with Wenton," Shin shouted.

"You have some explaining to do after this, Shin," Fiona called back coldly.

Shin nodded and lunged toward Wenton, while Fiona took the children to safety.

Shin found Wenton getting up, the trees around him crushed under his weight. Wenton’s eyes were filled with rage, his expression twisted with fury as if he wanted to rip Shin apart. But he knew the power difference was now vast.

"How did you get so powerful so quickly?" Wenton asked, surprised.

**Of course he’s surprised. The Blood Pact isn’t well known, even among high-grade demons,** Shin thought.

"A dead man doesn’t need to know everything," Shin said coldly. **It’s good I’m away from the building. I can let loose now.**

"You think I’ll go down that easily?" Wenton seethed, his body swelling as his skin began to melt. Huge fists and tentacles sprouted from his body, making him nearly ten times his original size.

"You idiot," Shin said, his fingers morphing into sharp claws.

Launching himself into the air, Shin moved above Wenton, his speed so swift that Wenton couldn’t react. In a flurry of movements and slashes, Shin disappeared, leaving only faint afterimages as he attacked every part of Wenton. The demon could do nothing but take the blows and die painfully.

As Wenton’s body fell apart and disappeared into black smoke, Shin stood before him.

"A large size might make you more dangerous, but to me, it’s just more meat to cut," Shin said coldly.

His hands morphed back to normal, and his aura faded—the Blood Pact was over. The monster was down, and the children were safe.

**Time to head back to Fiona. She seemed pissed. Was there some misunderstanding? I should talk to her,** Shin thought as he made his way toward her.

Fiona was standing near James, who was trapped inside a sigil. She was mumbling, likely speaking with Gabriel.

"Are the kids safe?" Shin asked.

"There’s another church about 20 minutes from here. I dropped them off there. It’s late, so no one will notice them," Fiona replied.

"Was Manny okay?" Shin asked.

"The boy with the bite wound? Don’t worry, he’s fine. But what were you doing?" Fiona asked.

"I formed a Blood Pact, but don’t worry—it’s over now. By the way, this guy… Now that I’m closer, he feels more familiar, but I can’t place it," Shin said.

"He’s James, the officer who was with Wenton. I’ve trapped him, but I need to know his name to exorcise him. Then I can trap the demonic soul and investigate the cult," Fiona explained.

"Cult? Which one?" Shin asked.

"Devil’s Eyes," Fiona replied.

Shin’s face filled with rage. **So it was them. I can’t believe they’ve returned. But that sigil… Did another high-grade demon take control of the cult?**

**If that’s true, then the one in front of me…** Shin pressed his memory hard. **Oh, I remember now.** His aura flared up again.

James, possessed by the demon, suddenly woke up in terror. His eyes widened as he saw Shin’s menacing aura closing in on him.

The demon’s face twisted in fear, and though he wanted to run, his body was frozen.

"What’s happening, Shin?" Fiona asked, worried.

With great effort, the demon opened his mouth and stammered, "Y-y-young master…"